Encouraging Appropriate Drug Use

Sakatchewan Health encourages the appropriate use of drugs.

Exception Drug Status classification restricts coverage of drugs that are only intended for use under certain circumstances.

Health supports:

• The Drug Evaluation Services and Roving Professor Program, which assists in the drug review process, provides expert opinions on an ad hoc basis and delivers drug information to promote the optimal use of pharmaceuticals in the province. 
• The Saskatchewan Drug Information Service, which provides consumer and professional drug information services for the public, and healthcare professional drug information for pharmacists, physicians and other health care professionals throughout Saskatchewan. 
• The Triplicate Prescription Program operated by the College of Physicians and Surgeons, a two-part written prescription to monitor the prescription of certain drugs with the intent to reduce abuse.
• A province-wide drug utilization program, RxFiles, managed by Saskatoon Health Region to assist physicians in selecting the most appropriate and cost-effective drug therapies for their patients.
• The pharmacy claims processing system which performs various checks on each prescription that is filled.

Health also makes anonymized prescription drug use records from our database available for internal and external drug studies and research.

Health enters into product assurance agreements with drug manufacturers to monitor the use of a particular drug and ensure that utilization and health outcomes occur as stated in the manufacturer's documentation.

The Trial Prescription Program, a program to reduce costs and waste, encourages pharmacists to dispense a seven or 10 day supply for the initial prescription of certain drugs, monitor the effect on the patient and if the outcomes are positive, dispense the full prescription as directed by the physician. There is no additional cost to the resident for this service.